"In darkness, gaze upon a Fallen Star."
Claudia leads the trek up the Storm Spire to retrieve Viren's staff, but as they climb ever higher, the aftereffects of his recent demise soon proves a problem for her and Terry.
In the Sunfire camp, Janai and Amaya celebrate their engagement, until the mood is dampered by the trepidations put forth by Janai's younger brother, Prince Karim.
While Katolis prepares for Zubeia and Zym's visit, Callum's book of translation finally arrives, as does an unexpected visitor.
Tropes:
- Big Damn Reunion: Subverted. After two years Rayla and Callum meet again at the end of the episode. However, Callum's reception is lukewarm at best since he is still angry with Rayla over the way she left.
- Bitch Slap: Claudia's response to Viren's tirade that he wants to retire and spend what life he has with her is to slap him clear across the face.
- Blank Book: Callum gets upset when he notices that the last half of the translator book is empty. Or so it seems.
- Call-Back: Before he's about to write in the tome, Callum wonders if he's about to vandalize an ancient book, before pressing onward by saying it wouldn't be the first time he "accidentally on purpose ruined a rare magical artifact."
- Didn't Think This Through: Claudia, fails to realize that taking Viren along with her on a long climb up the very mountain he had a prolonged Disney Villain Death from might negatively impact her recently-revived father, especially as said event happened only moments ago from his perspective. Viren suffers from multiple Freak Outs on the climb up and eventually passes out during an intense panic attack, nearly falling off the narrow ledge they're passing, again. Granted, Claudia can't exactly wait around with Viren having only 30 days to live, and does offer to let him head back down after his near fall, but it shows a severe lack of foresight for his mental well-being. Along with failing to account for how difficult both physically and mentally it would be for Viren to go all the way back down the mountain alone, seeing as they're already near the top and he almost fell to his death during said panic attack.
- Does This Remind You of Anything?: Many of Karim's arguments over Janai marrying Amaya mirror the arguments of those opposed to legalizing gay marriage, though Karim takes issue with his sister marrying Amaya because she's a human rather than because she's a woman. He claims he has nothing against Amaya personally, but opposes making their marriage official due to the message it would send and tries to tell Janai they're welcome to remain a couple as long as they do so privately, much like those who tell same-sex couples to content themselves with domestic partnerships or other marriage "substitutes."
- Exactly What I Meant to Say: Claudia tries to reassure her dad that she is "perfectionish" when it comes to dark magic. When Terry asks if she meant "perfectionist", she reiterates that she did indeed mean "ish".
- I've Never Seen Anything Like This Before: How the Assistant Crow Lord describes his feelings after seeing the magical Xadian bird arrive with the translator book.
- Kids Hate Vegetables: Zym doesn't like the vegetable breakfast dish offered to him by Ibis.
- Like You Were Dying: Suffering from PTSD over his death, Viren realizes that his ruthless ambition almost cost him everything, and proposes giving up on freeing Aaravos and just spending what little time he has left with his daughter. Claudia is briefly touched, but then slaps him and snaps that she didn't spend two years doing unspeakable things to resurrect him only for him to wuss out.
- Maligned Mixed Marriage: While Prince Karim has no objections over his sister being in a relationship with Amaya, he does fear that marrying her would be a symbol to the Sunfire elves that they'll never again be as they were.
- Queer Colors:
- The Xadiazalea plant Terry tries to bloom with magic has flowers with blue pink and white stripes like the trans flag.
- When Amaya and Janai are in the tent, the lantern has orange white and pink colors like the lesbian flag.
- Ridiculously Difficult Route: A shortcut up to the top of the Storm Spire leads across a very narrow stretch causing Viren to Faint in Shock and fall off. Luckily, Claudia catches him midair using her dark magic powers.
- Russian Reversal: Terry states that Viren is legendary, that he shouldn't have a fear of heights, heights should fear him.
- Toilet Humor: The apparently pleasant smell of Terry's farts is milked for comedy.
- Too Much Information:
- The Assistant Crow Lord lets Callum know he had to change his trousers after seeing the wondrous Xadian bird that delivered his tome, much to Callum's discomfort.
- Viren did not need to know what Terry's farts smell like.
- Translator Microbes: The translation tome is enchanted so that anything written on one page in the blank half of the book is translated into English on the page next to it, assuming it can be translated.
- Trauma Button: Going to the Storm Spire triggers Viren's bad memories of his fall, such that he is hyperventilating the whole time and gets vertigo when he looks down, until he eventually starts having panic attacks and passes out.
- Vertigo Effect: This visual effect is used several times when Viren looks down from the mountain, emphasizing his newly gained fear of heights.
- What Kind of Lame Power Is Heart, Anyway?: Viren is thoroughly unimpressed with Terry's ability to shave a week or two off the time it takes a random flower to bloom. Admittedly he can't afford to wait around for it to do so, but at least it distracted him from his trauma for a few minutes.
